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515 Little Canada Road, Little Canada, MN 55117 -1600 <br />(651) 766 -4029 / FAX: (651) 766 -4048 <br />www.ei.little-eanada.mn.us <br />MEMORANDUM <br />TO: Mayor Blesener & Members of the City Council <br />FROM: Joel Hanson, City Administrator <br />DATE: June 10, 2006 <br />RE: Realignment of Viking Drive <br />MAYOR <br />Bill Blesener <br />COUNCIL <br />Jim LaValle <br />Rick Montour <br />Barbara Allan <br />John Keis <br />ADMINISTRATOR <br />Joel R. Hanson <br />Staff has met with representatives of McDonald's and Ramsey County regarding the possibility of <br />gaining a new route for Viking Drive to remove it from the vicinity of the Rice Street and Highway 36 <br />interchange. As you may recall, McDonald's is proposing to reconstruct their restaurant at Minnesota <br />and Rice Street. They have been gracious in delaying their project while we determine if a new <br />alignment is feasible. McDonald's property provides a possible realignment. While there may another <br />realignment option, this appears to be the most feasible in addition to resolving a number of traffic <br />related concerns from the County's perspective (limiting access on to Rice Street). <br />In our recent meetings with McDonald's, it has become obvious that time is of the essence from their <br />standpoint. Ideally, they would like to commence construction a new restaurant by August of this year. <br />It may be possible they would delay construction if all of the pieces of the realignment puzzle were to be <br />resolved in short order and there commitments as to completion dates for various components of this <br />project. Those pieces are as follows: <br />® Vacation/transfer of the excess 43 feet of Rice Street right -of -way by Ramsey County. <br />This right -of -way was acquired back in 1970 by the State of Minnesota. It does not <br />align with other row in the area and the County feels it could be vacated if it resulted in <br />a new alignment for Viking Drive. The County needs to verify that they have gained <br />ownership of this land given the turnback of Rice Street that occurred in the 1990's. <br />(Rice Street was a trunk highway and is now a county road.) See crosshatched section <br />on aerial map attached. <br />® Acquisition of property off of Viking Drive to connect with McDonald's. This can be <br />facilitated by the acquisition of 91 Viking Drive W that is currently for sale. The listing <br />price is $237,000. (This is about 5100,000 above Ramsey County's estimated Market <br />Value- $133,900 — see property record attached.) I have received a number of inquiries <br />regarding this parcel, but its limited size will make redevelopment difficult for the <br />private sector. I would recommend we enter into a purchase agreement for this site that <br />